Tensions following a firefight in disputed Tuz Khormato
continued to rise as the central government sent more troops into the region.
Meanwhile, at least three people were killed and 26 more were wounded in
fresh violence.

The Iraqi government reinforced
army troops in the Tuz Khormato area, but ordered them to avoid further
increasing agitation in the area. Kurdish Peshmerga forces also strengthened
their numbers along this heavily Kurdish part of Iraq. The escalation began
several days ago when two Arab men refused to pay a local vendor for gasoline,
and the accusations led to a firefight
at a politician’s home. Both the Kurdish and central governments claim this
oil-rich and ethnically diverse region. In the past, U.S. troops were on hand
to defuse tensions. This time, however, the U.S. government is only involved
from a distance.

2012042564One Responsehttp%3A%2F%2Foriginal.antiwar.com%2Fupdates%2F2012%2F11%2F20%2Fattack-on-shiite-endowment-head-and-other-targets-leaves-3-killed-26-wounded-in-iraq%2FAttack+on+Shi%27ite+Endowment+Head+and+Other+Targets+Leaves+3+Killed%2C+26+Wounded+in+Iraq2012-11-21+04%3A54%3A13Margaret+Griffishttp%3A%2F%2Foriginal.antiwar.com%2F%3Fp%3D2012042564 to “Attack on Shi’ite Endowment Head and Other Targets Leaves 3 Killed, 26 Wounded in Iraq”